As a kid, Jackie Robinson loved sports. And why not? He was a natural at football, basketball, and, of course, baseball. But beyond athletic skill, it was his strength of character that secured his place in sports history. In 1947, Jackie joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the long-time color barrier in Major League Baseball. It was tough being the first, not only did “fans” send hate mail but some of his own teammates refused to accept him.
Stealing Home: Jackie Robinson Against All Odds
By Robert Burleigh, Illustrated by Mike Wimmer
Man on third. Two outs. The pitcher eyes the base runner, checks for the signs. The fans in the jammed stadium hold their breath. Flapping his outstretched arms like wings, number 42 leads off again. It is September 1955, game one of the World Series, theYankees versus the Dodgers, and Jackie Robinson is about to do the unbelievable, attempt to steal home in a World Series game. Is it possible? Yes, it is, if you are Jackie Robinson.
My Little Golden Book About Jackie Robinson
By Frank John Berrios III, Illustrated by Betsy Bauer
This Little Golden Book captures the essence of Jackie Robinson for the littlest readers. Lively text and compelling artwork detail Robinson’s remarkable journey from childhood, to playing for the Negro Leagues, to then becoming the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era. Little ones will be inspired by the many challenges Robinson gracefully rose to, while they learn important baseball and civil rights history. 2-5 years
Jackie Robinson Breaking Barriers in Baseball
By Kurtis Scaletta
When Jackie Robinson stepped up to the plate for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, everything changed. He was the first black man to play in a major-league baseball game in the twentieth century! His brave act opened the door for more black players to achieve their own big-league dreams. But how did Jackie break baseball’s color barrier? Whether excelling at every sport he tried as a youngster or standing up for his civil rights as a soldier in the US Army, Jackie always focused on his goals. Find out how this boy who loved baseball became one of history’s greatest trailblazers! 8-12 years
The United States v Jackie Robinson
By Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
Jackie Robinson broke boundaries as the first African American player in Major League Baseball. But long before Jackie changed the world in a Dodger uniform, he did it in an army uniform.
As a soldier during World War II, Jackie experienced segregation every day—separate places for black soldiers to sit, to eat, and to live. When the army outlawed segregation on military posts and buses, things were supposed to change.
So when Jackie was ordered by a white bus driver to move to the back of a military bus, he refused. Instead of defending Jackie’s rights, the military police took him to trial. But Jackie would stand up for what was right, even when it was difficult to do. 4-8 years
The Hero Two Doors Down: Based on the True Story of Friendship Between a Boy and a Baseball Legend
By Sharon Robinson
Eight year old Stephen Satlow lives in Brooklyn, New York, which means he only cares about one thing, the Dodgers. Steve hears a rumor that an African-America family is moving to his neighborhood. It’s 1948, and some of his neighbors are against it.Steve knows this is wrong. His hero, Jackie Robinson, broke the color barrier in baseball the year before. And as it turns out, Steve’s new neighbor is Jackie Robinson. Written by Jackie Robinson’s daughter Sharon.
Jackie Robinson: He Led the Way
By April Jones Prince, Illustrated by Robert Casilla
Jackie Robinson became the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era when he stepped onto the field as a Brooklyn Dodger in 1947. This book follows Jackie from childhood through his career as an award winning baseball player and a hero of the civil rights movement.
When Jackie and Hank Met
by Cathy Goldberg Fishman, Illustrated by Mark Elliott
Jackie Robinson and Hank Greenberg were two very different people. But they both became Major League Baseball players and they both faced a lot of the same challenges in their lives and careers. For Jackie, it was his skin color, for Hank, his religion. On May 17, 1947, these two men met for the first time colliding at firstbase in a close play. While the crowd urged them to fight, Jackie and Hank chose a different path. This is the story of two men who went on to break the barriers of race and religion in America sports and became baseball legends in the process.
Teammates
by Peter Golenbock, Illustrated by Paul Bacon
This is the moving story of how Jackie Robinson became the first black player on a Major League baseball team when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1940s, and how on a fateful day in Cincinnati, Pee Wee Reese took a stand and declared Jackie his teammate.
I am Jackie Robinson
By Brad Meltzer, Illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos
Jackie Robinson always loved sports, especially baseball. But he lived at a time before the Civil Rights Movement. Even though Jackie was a great athlete, he wasn’t allowed on the best teams just because of the color of his skin. Jackie knew that sports were best when everyone, of every color, played together. He became thefirst black player in Major League Baseball, and his bravery changed history and led the way to equality in all American sports.
The book descriptions used are primarily from the publishers.
If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
Amelia Earhart was a woman of many firsts. In 1932, she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1935, she became the first woman to fly across the Pacific. From her early years to her mysterious 1937 disappearance while attempting a flight around the world, readers will find her life a fascinating story. 8-12 years
Daring Amelia
By Barbara Lowell, Illustrated by Jez Tuya
Even as a kid, Amelia Earhart was always looking for adventures. She had mud ball fights, explored caves, and even built a roller coaster in her backyard. The adventures continued as she grew up.
Amelia took flying lessons and was soon performing stunts in the sky. She became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. Still, Amelia wanted to achieve more. She set out to fly around the world. Tragedy struck when Amelia was unable to find the smallisland in the Pacific Ocean she needed to land on. Amelia Earhart is remembered today as a daring explorer who loved to fly. 6-8 years. Teacher Guide available at:https://barbaralowell.com/teacher-guide-2/
Trailblazers: Amelia Earhart, The First Woman Over the Atlantic
By Sally J. Morgan, Illustrated by David Shepard
On June 19, 1928, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to cross the Atlantic in an airplane. From building her own roller coaster as a child, to climbing to the roof of her boarding school, Amelia was a born daredevil. Find out how the girl who loved watching air shows blazed a trail in aviation! 8-12 years
Amelia Earhart: Pioneer of the Sky!
By James Buckley, Jr., Illustrated by Kelly Tindall
When Amelia Earhart became the first woman to make a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932. She immediately became an American icon and a subject of endless fascination for generations to come. This book is the story of the bold and daring aviator’s life presented in graphic novel format, with full-color illustrations and historically accurate details. From her hardscrabble childhood to her final flight—and mysterious disappearance—Earhart’s journey will entertain, captivate, and inspire readers of all ages. 8-12 years
It’s Her Story — Amelia Earhart, A Graphic Novel
By Kim Moldofsky, Illustrated by Alan Brown
Amelia Earhart was the first women to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She piloted many record-breaking flights, became an author, advised engineers, taught college students, and defended women’s rights. And then somewhere in the South Pacific, she disappeared on an attempted flight around the world. This is her story. 7-10 years
Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride
By Pam Munoz Ryan, Illustrated by Brian Selznick
Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt were birds of a feather. Not only were they two of the most admired and respected women of all time, they were also good friends.
On a brisk and cloudless evening in April 1933, Amelia and Eleanor did the unprecedented: They stole away from a White House dinner, commandeered an Eastern Air Transport jet, andtook off on a glorious adventure, while still dressed in their glamorous evening gowns. 7-10 years
Amelia Earhart: The Legend of the Lost Aviator
By Shelley Tanaka, Illustrated by David Craig
Ever since Amelia Earhart and her plane disappeared on July 2, 1937, people have wanted to know more about this remarkable woman. This book follows the charismatic aviator from her first sight of an airplane at the age of ten to the last radio transmission she made before she vanished. 8-12 years
Night Flight: Amelia Earhart Crosses the Atlantic
By Robert Burleigh, Illustrated by Wendell Minor
Robert Burleigh has captured Amelia Earhart’s first solo flight across the Atlantic in 1932. She was the first woman and only the second person to do this. 4-8 years
When Amelia Earhart Build a Roller Coaster
By Mark Weakland, Illustrated by Oksana Griviana
Amelia Earhart was one of America’s most famous aviators. But do you know what she was like as a child? From running on the river bluffs and playing football to building a roller coaster, Amelia was an active and confident child. Her childhood story will help young readers connect to this historic figure and inspire them. 6-12 years
I am Unstoppable: A Little Book About Amelia Earhart
By Brad Meltzer, Illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos
This friendly, fun biography focuses on the traits that made Amelia Earhart great—the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves. In this new board book format, the very youngest readers can learn about one of America’s icons a lively, conversational way. The short text focuses on drawing inspiration from the famous pilot and includes an interactive element and factual tidbits that young kids will be able to connect with. 2-5 years
Amelia Lost
By Candace Fleming
In alternating chapters, Candace Fleming deftly moves readers back and forth between Amelia’s life, from childhood to her last flight, and the exhaustive search for Amelia and her missing plane. With photos, maps, and handwritten notes from Amelia, this book tackles everything from the history of flight to what Amelia liked to eat while flying. 8 and up
Amelia Earhart: A Photographic Story of a Life
By Tanya Lee Stone
With more than 100 full-color photographs, illustrations, and detailed sidebars, this book celebrates an aviation pioneer who changed how the world is viewed: aviatrix Amelia Earhart. 10 years and up
The descriptions used are primarily from the publishers.
If you liked this post, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
Leonardo da Vinci painted two of the best known paintings in the world: Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. In addition to his magnificent work as an artist, Leonardo designed inventions that are familiar to us today, almost 400 years later.
Leonardo sketched and wrote about his inventions in notebooks. Most of his ideas could not be made into working objects during his lifetime. Engineering was a new science and many of his designs were technically complicated.
These are six of Leonardo da Vinci’s inventions:
In the Air:
Glider — Leonardo’s glider design looks similar to both a bird in flight and a modern hang glider. Leonardo studied birds as he worked on his design.
Helical Screw — This is Leonardo’s design for an early type of helicopter. Four men inside operated the screw. It would compress air to fly just like helicopters do today.
Parachute — Leonardo imagined floating through the air using a parachute. Designed to be made of linen and wood, his parachute had a triangular shape.
Anemometer — Leonardo designed this instrument to measure wind speed. Anemometers are used at weather stations today.
Under Water:
Scuba Gear — Leonardo designed a leather suit with a head covering attached to two tubes. The tubes connected to an above water diving bell. The diver would breathe air from the water’s surface through the tubes. Today, scuba divers breathe air from the tanks they carry underwater. Early divers used Leonardo’s method.
On Land:
Tank — Leonardo turned again to the natural world for this design. A turtle shell inspired it. The tank’s design provided for a 360 degree rotation. Four men inside would operate the tank with hand cranks while other men would fire the weapons. Modern tanks first appeared in World War I.
Lives of Artists: Masterpieces, Messes (and What the Neighbors Thought)
By Kathleen Krull, Illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt
Most people can name some famous artists and recognize their best-known works. But what’s behind all the painting, drawing, and sculpting? What was Leonardo da Vinci’s snack of choice while he painted Mona Lisa’s mysterious smile? Why did Georgia O’Keeffe find bones so appealing? Who called Diego Rivera “Frog-Face”? And what is it about artists that makes both their work and their lives so fascinating?
The Iridescence of Birds: A Book About Henri Matisse
By Patricia MacLachlan, Illustrated by Hadley Hooper
If you were a boy named Henri Matisse who lived in a dreary town in northern France, what would your life be like? Would it be full of color and art? Full of lines and dancing figures? Find out in this beautiful, unusual picture book about one of the world’s most famous and influential artists.
The Fantastic Jungle of Henri Rousseau
By Michelle Markel, Illustrated by Amanda Hall
Henri Rousseau wanted to be an artist. But he had no formal training. Instead, he taught himself to paint. He painted until the jungles and animals and distant lands in his head came alive on his canvases. He endured the harsh critics of his day and created the brilliant paintings that now hang in museums around the world.
Matisse’s Garden
By Samantha Friedman, Illustrated by Christina Amodeo
One day, the French artist Henri Matisse cut a small bird out of a piece of paper. It looked lonely all by itself, so he cut out more shapes to join it. Before he knew it, Matisse had transformed his walls into larger-than-life gardens, filled with brightly colored plants, animals, and shapes of all sizes.
Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
By Javaka Steptoe
Jean-Michel Basquiat and his unique, collage-style paintings rocketed to fame in the 1980s as a cultural phenomenon unlike anything the art world had ever seen. But before that, he was a little boy who saw art everywhere: in poetry books and museums, in games and in the words that we speak, and in the pulsing energy of New York City.
Women Artists A to Z
By Melanie LaBarge, Illustrated by Caroline Corrigan
How many women artists can you name? From Frida Kahlo and Georgia O’Keeffe, to Jaune Quick-to-See Smith and Xenobia Bailey, this illustrated alphabet picture book presents both famous and underrepresented women in the fine arts from a variety of genres: painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, and more.
Each spread features a simple line of text encapsulating the creator’s iconic work in one word, such as “D is for Dots” (Yayoi Kusama) and “S is for Spider” (Louise Bourgeois), followed by slightly longer text about the artist for older readers who would like to know more. Backmatter includes extended biographies and discussion questions for budding creatives and trailblazers.
My Name is Georgia
A Portrait by Jeanette Winter
From the time she was just a young girl, Georgia O’Keeffe viewed the world in her own way. While other girls played with toys and braided their hair, Georgia practiced her drawing and let her hair fly free. As an adult, Georgia followed her love of art from the steel canyons of New York City to the vast plains of New Mexico. There she painted all day, and slept beneath the stars at night. Throughout her life Georgia O’Keeffe followed her dreams and so found her way to become a great American artist.
The Artist Who Loved Cats: The Inspiring Tale of Theophile-Alexandre Steinlen
By Susan Schaefer Bernardo, Illustrated by Courtney Fletcher
This story opens in modern-day France, when a little girl named Antoinette notices a little bronze cat in the window of her favorite antique store, and begs the shopkeeper Monsieur Arvieux and his clever cat Noir to tell her all about the artist. She learns that Steinlen moved to Paris in 1881 to pursue his artistic dreams, ultimately creating not just the Chat Noir posters but also more than 700 journal illustrations, famous posters, sculptures, cartoon strips and paintings, and even used his art to make the world a better place. Many of Steinlen’s artworks feature cats, his favorite subject.
Rembrandt and the Boy Who Drew Dogs: A Story About Rembrandt van Rijn
By Molly Blaisdell and Nancy Lane
Author Molly Blaisdell transports young readers to the city of Amsterdam in the 1650s. It is a time when world-renowned artist Rembrandt van Rijn is at the height of fame among his patrons — and when his young son Titus longs to imitate him father and become a great painter. At first, Rembrandt rebuffs Titus’s attempts at drawing, but gradually is won over by his son’s enthusiasm and persistence, and he begins to teach Titus the basic techniques of drawing from life.
A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin
By Jen Bryant, Illustrated by Melissa Sweet
As a child in the late 1800s, Horace Pippin loved to draw. He drew pictures for his sisters, his classmates, his co-workers. Even during WWI, Horace filled his notebooks with drawings from the trenches…until he was shot. Upon his return home, Horace couldn’t lift his right arm. He couldn’t make any art. Slowly, with lots of practice, he regained use of his arm, until once again, he was able to paint, and paint, and paint. Before long, his paintings were displayed in galleries and museums across the country.
Sparky & Spike: Charles Schulz and the Wildest, Smartest Dog Ever
By Barbara Lowell, Illustrated by Dan Andreasen
The true story of young Charles Schulz, the creator of Peanuts, and his dog Spike the inspiration for Snoopy. A Junior Library Guild Selection. Doggone fun! — Booklist Starred Review
Who Was Frieda Kahlo?
By Sarah Fabiny, Illustrated by Jerry Hoare
You can always recognize a painting by Frieda Kahlo because she is in nearly all — with her black braided hair and colorful Mexican outfits. A brave woman who was an invalid most of her life, she transformed herself into a living work of art. As famous for her self-portraits and haunting imagery as she was for her marriage to another famous artist, Diego Rivera, this strong and courageous painter was inspired by the ancient culture and history of her beloved homeland, Mexico.
The Noisy Paint Box
By Barb Rosenstock, Illustrated by Mary GrandPre
Vasya Kandinsky was a proper little boy: he studied math and history, he practiced the piano, he sat up straight and was perfectly polite. And when his family sent him to art classes, they expected him to paint pretty houses and flowers — like a proper artist.
But as Vasya opened his paint box and began mixing the reds, the yellows, the blues, he heard a strange sound — the swirling colors trilled like an orchestra tuning up for a symphony. And as he grew older, Vasya continued to hear brilliant colors singing and to see sounds dancing. But was Vasya brave enough to put aside his proper still lifes and portraits and paint…music?
Just Behave, Pablo Picasso
By Jonah Winter, Pictures by Kevin Hawkes
“One day the world is peaceful, lovely landscape painting…The next day — BLAM! — Pablo bursts through the canvas, paintbrush in hand, ready to paint something fresh and new.”
Pablo Picasso may have been one of the most famous artists of the 20th century, but that doesn’t mean he painted what people wanted him to paint. Some people hated his paintings and called them ugly and terrible. But Picasso didn’t listen to all those people. He kept on working the way he wanted to, until he created something new, so different, that people didn’t know what to say.
Action Jackson
By Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, Illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker
One late spring morning the American artist Jackson Pollock began work on the canvas that would ultimately come to be known as Number 1. The authors use this moment as the departure point for a picture book about a great painter and the way in which he worked.
The book descriptions used are primarily from the publishers.
If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
In this young graphic novel, Dounia, a grandmother, tells her granddaughter the story even her son has never heard: how, as a young Jewish girl in Paris, she was hidden away from the Nazis by a series of neighbors and friends who risked their lives to keep her alive when her parents had been taken to concentration camps. Hiddenends on a tender note, with Dounia and her mother rediscovering each other as World War II ends and as a young girl in present-day France becomes closer to her grandmother, who can finally tell her story. 6-10 years
Behind the Bookcase: Miep Gies, Anne Frank and the Hiding Place
By Barbara Lowell, Illustrated by Valentina Toro
Anne Frank’s diary is a gift to the world because of Miep Gies. One of the protectors of the Frank family, Miep recovered the diary after the family was discovered by Nazis, and then returned it to Otto Frank after World War II. Displaced from her own home as a child during World War I, Miep had great empathy for Anne, and she found ways―like talking about Hollywood gossip and fashion trends―to engage her. The story of their relationship―and the impending danger to the family in hiding―unfolds in this unique perspective of Anne Frank’s widely known story. 7 and up
Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued
By Peter Sis
In December 1938, a young Englishman canceled a ski vacation and went instead to Prague to help the hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Nazis who were crowded into the city. Setting up a makeshift headquarters in his hotel room, Nicholas Winton took names and photographs from parents desperate to get their children out of danger. He raised money, found foster families in England, arranged travel and visas, and, when necessary, bribed officials and forged documents. In the frantic spring and summer of 1939, as the Nazi shadow fell over Europe, he organized the transportation of almost 700 children to safety.
Then, when the war began and no more children could be rescued, he put away his records and told no one. It was only fifty years later that a chance discovery and a famous television appearance brought Winton’s actions to light. 6-8 years
The Butterfly
By Patricia Polacco
Ever since the Nazis marched into Monique’s small French village, terrorizing it, nothing surprises her, until the night Monique encounters “the little ghost” sitting at the end of her bed. She turns out to be a girl named Sevrine, who has been hiding from the Nazis in Monique’s basement. Playing after dark, the two become friends, until, in a terrifying moment, they are discovered, sending both of their families into a nighttime flight. 6-9 years
Hold on to Your Music: The Inspiring True Story of the Children of Willesden Lane
By Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen, Illustrated by Sonia Possentini
In pre-World War II Vienna, Lisa Jura was a musical prodigy who dreamed of becoming a concert pianist. But when enemy forces threatened the city—particularly the Jewish people that lived there—Lisa’s parents were forced to make a difficult decision. They chose to send Lisa to London for safety through the Kindertransport—a rescue effort that relocated Jewish children. As Lisa yearned to be reunited with her family while living in a home for refugee children on Willesden Lane, her music became a beacon of hope for those around her. 4-8 years
Survivors of the Holocaust: True Stories of Six Extraordinary Children
By Kath Shackleton, Illustrated By Zane Whittingham
Between 1933 and 1945, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party were responsible for the persecution of millions of Jews across Europe. This graphic novel tells the true stories of six Jewish children who survived the Holocaust.
From suffering the horrors of Auschwitz, to hiding from Nazi soldiers in war-torn Paris, to sheltering from the Blitz in England, each true story is a powerful testament to the survivors’ courage. These remarkable testimonials serve as a reminder never to allow such a tragedy to happen again.
Features a current photograph of each contributor and an update about their lives, along with a glossary and timeline to support reader understanding of this period in world history. 10-14 years
The Whispering Town
By Jennifer Elvgren, Illustrated by Fabio Santomauro
The Whispering Town is the story of neighbors in a small Danish fishing village who, during the Holocaust, shelter a Jewish family waiting to be ferried to safety in Sweden. It is 1943 in Nazi-occupied Denmark. Anett and her parents are hiding a Jewish woman and her son, Carl, in their cellar until a fishing boat can take them across the sound to neutral Sweden. The soldiers patrolling their street are growing suspicious, so Carl and hismama must make their way to the harbor despite a cloudy sky with no moon to guide them. Worried about their safety, Anett devises a clever and unusual plan for their safe passage to the harbor. Based on a true story. 4-8 years
Stone Angel
By Jane Yolen, Illustrated by Katie May Green
The Nazis may have taken their home, but the family still has a guardian angel. A little girl and her family live happily in Paris until Nazi soldiers arrive during World War II. They must flee or risk being sent to a concentration camp. They run into the woods where they meet resistance fighters. But they’re still not safe. They must cross tall mountains and sail in a rickety boat to England. Yet the whole time they’re struggling to survive, the little girl thinks of the stone angel near their apartment in Paris and imagines it watches over her family. 5-8 years
What Was the Holocaust
By Gail Herman, Illustrated by Jerry Hoare
The Holocaust was a genocide on a scale never before seen, with as many as twelve million people killed in Nazi death camps—six million of them Jews. Gail Herman traces the rise of Hitler and the Nazis, whose rabid anti-Semitism led first to humiliating anti-Jewish laws, then to ghettos all over Eastern Europe, and ultimately to the Final Solution. She presents just enough information for an elementary-school audience in a readable, well-researched book that covers one of the most horrible times in history. 8-12 years
Benno and the Night of Broken Glass
By Meg Wiviott, Illustrated by Josee Bisaillon
A neighborhood cat observes the changes in German and Jewish families in its town during the period leading up to Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass that becomes the true beginning of the Holocaust. The cat’s view introduces the Holocaust to children in a gentle way. 3-8 years
Star of Fear, Star of Hope
By Jo Hoestlandt, Illustrated by Joanna Kang
Set in France, during the Nazi occupation of World War II, a gentile child named Helen recalls the mounting persecution of her Jewish friend. She wonders why does her best friend, Lydia, have to wear a yellow star? Why are people in hiding and using strange names? What is Lydia afraid of? Touching upon the Holocaust with sensitivity and poignancy, Star of Fear, Star of Hope will helpreaders understand this difficult time in history. 7-10 years
The Harmonica
By Tony Johnston, Illustrated by Ron Mazellan
When the Nazis invade Poland, a family is split apart. The parents are sent to one concentration camp, and their son to another. Only his father’s gift, a harmonica, keeps the boy’s hopes alive and miraculously ensures his survival. 7-10 years
The Wren and the Sparrow
By J. Patrick Lewis, Illustrated by Yevgenia Nayberg
An allegorical tale about Nazi occupied Poland in which a town’s residents are forced to turn over their musical instruments. A young student rescues the hurdy-gurdy of her teacher, who has presumably befallen a terrible fate, and later, a young boy finds the instrument and intends to pass it — and the importance of remembering — on to his future grandchildren. 8-12 years
Always Remember Me: How One Family Survived World War II
By Marisabina Russo
Rachel’s Oma (her grandmother) has two picture albums. In one the photographs show only happy times — from after World War II, when she and her daughters came to America. But the other album includes much sadder times from before — when their life in Germany was destroyed by the Nazi’s rise to power. As long as Rachel can remember, Oma has closed the other album when she’s gotten to the sad part. But today Oma will share it all. Today Rachel will hear about what her grandmother, her mother, and her aunts endured. And she’ll see how the power of this Jewish family’s love for one another gave them the strength to survive. 6-10 years
Irena Sandler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto
By Susan Goldman Rubin, Illustrated by Bill Farnsworth
Irena Sendler, a Polish social worker, helped nearly four hundred Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto and into hiding during World War II. 6-9 years
The book descriptions used are from the publishers.
If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
This beautifully written biography tells the story of E.B. White, the author of Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little. Caldecott Honor winner Melissa Sweet mixes White’s personal letters, photos, and family keepsakes with her own artwork to tell the story of this American literary icon. E.B White was a journalist, New Yorker contributor, and children’s book author who loved words his whole life.
Through the Wardrobe: How C.S. Lewis Created Narnia
By Lina Maslo
As a child, Clive Staples Lewis imagined many things . . . heroic animals, and knights in armor, and a faraway land called Boxen. He even thought of a new name for himself—at four years old, he decided he was more of a Jack. As he grew up, though, Jack found that the real world was not as just as the one in his imagination. No magic could heal the sick or stop a war, and a bully’s words could pierce as sharply as a sword. So Jack withdrew into books and eventually became a well-known author for adults.
But he never forgot the epic tales of his boyhood, and one day a young girl’s question about an old family wardrobe inspired him to write a children’s story about a world hidden beyond its fur coats . . . a world of fauns and queens and a lion named Aslan. A world of battles between good and evil, where people learned courage and love and forgiveness. A magical realm called Narnia. And the books he would write about this kingdom would change his life and that of children the world over.
Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen: The Story of Six Novels, Three Notebooks, a Writing Box and One Clever Girl
By Deborah Hopkinson, Illustrated by Qin Leng
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen is one of our greatest writers. But before that, she was just an ordinary girl. In fact, young Jane was a bit quiet and shy; if you had met her back then, you might not have noticed her at all. But she would have noticed you. Jane watched and listened to all the things people around her did and said, and locked those observations away for safekeeping.
Jane also loved to read. She devoured everything in her father’s massive library and before long, she began creating her own stories. In her time, the most popular books were grand adventures and romances, but Jane wanted to go her own way…and went on to invent an entirely new kind of novel.
The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Suzy)
by Barbara Kerley, Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham
Suzy Clemens thought the world was wrong about her papa. They saw Mark Twain as “a humorist joking at everything.” But he was so much more, and Susy was determined to set the record straight. In a journal she kept under her pillow, Susy documented her world-famous father from his habits (good and bad) to his writing routine to their family’s colorful home life. Her frank, funny, tender biography (which came to be one of Twain’s most prized possessions) gives rare insight and an unforgettable perspective on an American icon.
Pioneer Girl: The Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder
by William Anderson, Illustrated by Dan Andreasen
This picture book biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder tells the remarkable story of the pioneer girl who would one day immortalize her adventures in the beloved Little House books. This biography captures the essence of the little girl called “Half-pint,” whose classic books and pioneer adventures have made her one of the most popular literary figures in America.
A Poem for Peter: The Story of Ezra Jack Keats and the Creator of the Snowy Day
By Andrea Davis Pinkney, Illustrated by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher
The story of The Snowy Day begins more than one hundred years ago, when Ezra Jack Keats was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. The family were struggling Polish immigrants, and despite Keats’s obvious talent, his father worried that Ezra’s dream of being an artist was an unrealistic one. But Ezra was determined. By high school he was winning prizes and scholarships. Later, jobs followed with the WPA and Marvel comics. But it was many years before Keats’s greatest dream was realized and he had the opportunity to write and illustrate his own book. For more than two decades, Ezra had kept pinned to his wall a series of photographs of an adorable African American child. In Keats’s hands, the boy morphed into Peter, a boy in a red snowsuit, out enjoying the pristine snow; the book became The Snowy Day, winner of the Caldecott Medal, the first mainstream book to feature an African American child. It was also the first of many books featuring Peter and the children of his — and Keats’s — neighborhood.
Will’s Words: How William Shakespeare Changed the Way You Talk
by Jane Sutcliffe, Illustrated by John Shelley
When Jane Sutcliffe set out to write a book about William Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre, she ran into a problem: Will’s words keep popping up all over the place. What’s an author to do? After all, Will is responsible for such familiar phrases as “what’s done is done” and “too much of a good thing.” He even helped turn “household words” into household words. But — what better words are there to use to write about the greatest writer in the English language than his very own?
A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams
by Jen Bryant, Illustrated by Melissa Sweet
When he wrote poems, William Carlos Williams felt as free as the Passaic River rushing to the falls. His notebooks filled up, one after another. His words gave him freedom and peace, but he also knew he needed to earn a living. He became a doctor yet never stopped writing poetry. This biography celebrates the amazing man who found a way to earn a living and to honor his calling to be a poet.
Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People
By Monica Brown, Illustrated by Julie Paschkis
Once there was a little boy named Neftalí who loved wild things wildly and quiet things quietly. From the moment he could talk, he surrounded himself with words. Neftalí discovered the magic between the pages of books. When he was sixteen, he began publishing his poems as Pablo Neruda.
Pablo wrote poems about the things he loved―things made by his friends in the café, things found at the marketplace, and things he saw in nature. He wrote about the people of Chile and their stories of struggle. Because above all things and above all words, Pablo Neruda loved people.
Enormous Smallness: A Story of E.E. Cummings
by Matthew Burgess, Illustrated by Kris Di Giacomo
Some of E.E. Cummings’s wonderful poems are integrating into a story that gives readers the music of his voice and a spirited, sensitive introduction to his poetry. This book emphasizes the bravery it takes to follow one’s own vision and the encouragement E.E. received to do just that.
Beatrix Potter and the Unfortunate Tale of a Borrowed Guinea Pig
By Deborah Hopkinson, Illustrated by Charlotte Voake
Deborah Hopkinson takes readers back to Victorian England and the home of budding young artist and animal lover Beatrix Potter. When Beatrix brings home her neighbor’s pet guinea pig so that she can practice painting it, well . . . it dies! Now what? Written in the form of a “picture letter,” this mostly true tale is a wonderful introduction to a beloved author/illustrator. An author’s note includes photographs and more information about Beatrix Potter’s life and work.
The book descriptions used are primarily from the publishers.
If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
Author Ellen Levine and illustrator Kadir Nelson bring Henry “Box” Brown’s amazing story to life in Henry’s Freedom Box.
One of the most famous slaves on the Underground Railroad didn’t travel by foot. Henry Brown, with the help of two friends, mailed himself from Richmond, Virginia to Philadelphia. The wooden box he traveled in measured only 3 feet long, 2 feet wide, and 2 feet, 8 inches deep.
Henry Brown began his life as a slave in Louisa Country, Virginia in about 1815. In Henry’s Freedom Box, the author writes: “Henry and his brothers and sisters worked in the big house where the master lived. Henry’s master had been good to Henry and his family. But Henry’s mother knew things could change. ‘Do you see those leaves blowing in the wind? They are torn from the trees like slave children are torn from their families.'”
At age 15, his master gave Henry to his son. From then on, Henry worked in a tobacco factory away from his family.
Henry married Nancy, a slave owned by a different master. One day, he watched as pregnant Nancy and their three children were led away, sold to a North Carolina plantation. Henry knew he would never see them again.
With the loss of Nancy and their children, Henry decided to escape slavery and make his way to a free state. He devised a dangerous plan. He would travel by steamboat, train, and wagon in a wooden box. Henry asked his friend, a free black, James Smith, and Dr. Samuel Smith, a white man who opposed slavery, to help him.
On March 23, 1849, Henry was nailed shut in the box with only biscuits, some water, and a tool, called a gimlet, to make air holes. Dr. Smith shipped Henry to The Philadelphia Anti-Slavery Society. He wrote on the box: “This Side Up With Care” hoping to keep Henry right side up during the trip. But Henry spent part of the trip upside down with blood rushing to his head. Once, Henry thought he would die that way, until two men on the steamboat moved Henry’s box and sat on top. Lucky for Henry the move put him right side up again.
Henry was delivered to the Anti-Slavery Society safely after spending 27 hours inside the box. Four men opened the wooden box and welcomed Henry to freedom. Newspapers reported Henry’s story and he became known around the world as Henry “Box” Brown, a free man.
Andrea Davis Pinkney and Illustrator Brian Pinkney
Born into slavery, Belle had to endure the cruelty of several masters before she escaped to freedom. But she knew she wouldn’t really be free unless she was helping to end injustice. That’s when she changed her name to Sojourner and began traveling across thecountry, demanding equal rights for black people and for women. Many people weren’t ready for her message, but Sojourner was brave and her truth was powerful. And slowly, but surely as Sojourner’s step-stomp stride, America began to change.
Martin and Mahalia His Words, Her Song
Andrea Davis Pinkney and Illustrator Brian Pinkney
On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and his strong voice and powerful message were joined and lifted in song by world-renowned gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. It was a moment that changed the course of history and is imprinted in minds forever.
The Red Pencil
Andrea Davis Pinkney and Illustrator Shane W. Evans
Life in Amira’s peaceful Sudanese village is shattered when Janjaweed attackers arrive, unleashing unspeakable horrors. After losing nearly everything, Amira needs to find the strength to make the long journey on foot to safety at a refugee camp. She begins to lose hope, until the gift of a simple red pencil opens her mind — and all kinds of possibilities.
Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters
Andrea Davis Pinkney and Illustrator Stephen Alcorn
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus and sparked a boycott that changed America. Harriet Tubman helped more than three hundred slaves escape the South on the Underground Railroad. Shirley Chisholm became the first black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
The lives these women led are part of an incredible story about courage in the face of oppression; about the challenges and triumphs of the battle for civil rights; and about speaking out for what you believe in — even when it feels like no one is listening.
Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down
Andrea Davis Pinkney and Illustrator Brian Pinkney
This picture book celebrates the momentous Woolworth’s lunch counter sit-in, when four college students staged a peaceful protest that became a defining moment in the struggle for racial equality and the growing civil rights movement.
Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America
Andrea Davis Pinkney and Illustrator Brian Pinkney
Hand in Hand presents the stories of ten men from different eras in American history, organized chronologically to provide a scope from slavery to modern day. Profiles of: Benjamin Banneker, Frederick Douglas, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B DuBois, A. Phillip Randolph, Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Barack H. Obama II.
Rhythm Ride: A Road Trip Through the Motown Sound
Andrea Davis Pinkney
Berry Gordy began Motown in 1959 with an $800 loan from his family. He converted the garage of a residential house into a studio and recruited teenagers from the neighborhood, including: Smokey Robinson, Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Diana Ross, to sing for his new label. The country was on the brink of a cultural revolution, and one of the most powerful agents of change in the following decade would be this group of young blackperformers from urban Detroit.
A Poem for Peter: The Story of Ezra Jack Keats and the
Creation of The Snowy Day
Andrea Davis Pinkney
and Illustrators Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher
The story of The Snowy Day begins more than one hundred years ago, when Ezra Jack Keats was born in Brooklyn, New York. The family were struggling Polish immigrants. Despite Keats’ obvious talent, his father worried that Ezra’s dream of being an artist wasan unrealistic one. But Ezra was determined. For more than two decades, Ezra had kept pinned to his wall a series of photographs of an adorable African American child. In Keats’ hands, the boy morphed into Peter, a boy in a red snowsuit, out enjoying the pristine snow. The book became The Snowy Day, the first mainstream book to feature an African American child.
Andrea Davis Pinkney
The book descriptions used are primarily the publishers.
If you like this article, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
By Martin Luther King, Jr., Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
On August 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave one of the most powerful and memorable speeches in our nation’s history. His words, paired with Caldecott Honor winner Kadir Nelson’s magnificent paintings, make for a picture book certain to be treasured by children and adults. The themes of equality and freedom for all are not only relevant today, fifty years later, butalso provide young readers with an important introduction to our nation’s past. (Audio CD included)
A Place to Land
By Barry Wittenstein, Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Martin Luther King, Jr. was once asked if the hardest part of preaching was knowing where to begin. No, he said. The hardest part is knowing where to end. “It’s terrible to be circling up there without a place to land.”
Finding this place to land was what he struggled with, alongside advisers and fellow speech writers, in the Willard Hotel the night before the March on Washington, where he gave his historic “I Have a Dream” speech. But those famous words were never intended to be heard on that day, not even written down for that day, not even once. 7-10 years
My Little Golden Book About Martin Luther King, Jr.
By Bonnie Bader, Illustrated by Sue Cornelison
Learn all about Martin Luther King Jr. Day with this Little Golden Book biography all about the civil rights leader! The perfect introduction to nonfiction for preschoolers. This Little Golden Book captures the essence of Martin Luther King, Jr. for the littlest readers. They’ll learn how his childhood in segregated Atlanta—and in his father’s church—shaped the future civil rights leader. And they’ll gain a clear understanding of the way he became an eloquent, powerful voice for African Americans. 2-5 years
My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
By Martin Luther King, III, Illustrated by A.G.
What was it like growing up as a son of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.? This picture book memoir provides insight into one of history’s most fascinating families and into a special bond between father and son. His son gives an intimate look at the man and the father behind the civil rights leader. Mr. King’s remembrances show both his warm, loving family and a momentous time in American history.
Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968
By Alice Faye Duncan, Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
In February 1968, two African American sanitation workers were killed by unsafe equipment in Memphis, Tennessee. Outraged at the city’s refusal to recognize a labor union that would fight for higher pay and safer working conditions, sanitation workers went on strike. The strike lasted two months, during which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was called to help with the protests.
While his presence was greatly inspiring to the community, this unfortunately would be his last stand for justice. He was assassinated in his Memphis hotel the day after delivering his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” sermon in Mason Temple Church. Inspired by the memories of a teacher who participated in the strike as a child, author Alice Faye Duncan reveals the story of the Memphis sanitation strike from the perspective of a young girl with a riveting combination of poetry and prose. Picture book, 9-12 years
Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Peaceful Leader
By Sarah Albee, Illustrated by Chin Ko
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. believed it was possible to change the world with peaceful protest. His powerful words and actions helped the civil rights movement achieve many great changes. His incredible leadership is still remembered and celebrated today.
Beginning readers will learn about the milestones in Martin Luther King Jr.’s life in this Level Two I Can Read biography, which combines a traditional, illustrated narrative with historical photographs at the back of book—complete with a timeline, illustrations, and interesting facts.
Martin Luther King Jr.: A Peaceful Leader is a Level Two I Can Read, geared for kids who read on their own but still need a little help. 4-8 years
Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King
By Jean Marzollo, Illustrated by J. Brian Pinkney
This book is a beautifully rendered study of Dr. King’s life told in simple, straightforward language for even the youngest readers. The illustrations convey both the strength and gentleness of Dr. King’s character. This book carries his central message of peace and brotherhood among all people.
Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
By Doreen Rappaport, Illustrated by Brian Collier
Doreen Rappaport weaves the immortal words of Dr. King into a captivating narrative to tell the story of his life. With stunning art by acclaimed illustrator Bryan Collier, this book is an unforgettable portrait of a man whose dream changed America.
Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr.?
By Bonnie Bader, Illustrated by Nancy Harrison
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was only twenty-five when he helped organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Soon he was organizing African Americans across the country in support of desegregation, and civil rights. Maintaining nonviolent and peaceful tactics even when his life was threatened, Dr. King was also an advocate for the poor and spoke out against racial and economic injustice.
Martin & Mahalia: His Words, Her Song
By Andrea Davis Pinkney, Illustrated by Brian Pinkney
On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. His strong voice and powerful message were joined and lifted in song by world-renowned gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. It was a moment that changed the course of history and is imprinted in minds forever. The stories of these two powerful voices and lives are told side-by-side — as they would one day walk — following the journey from their youth to a culmination at this historical eventwhen they united as one. This book inspires kids to find their own voices and speak up for what is right.
Martin Luther King, Jr. and the March on Washington
By Frances E. Ruffin, Illustrated by Stephen Marchesi
On August 28, 1963, more than 250,000 people came to the nation’s Capitol. They came by plane, by bus, by car, even on roller skates, to speak out against segregation and to demand equal rights for everyone. They came to hear the words of a very special leader, Martin Luther King, Jr. This book captures the spirit of this landmark day in American history and brings Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech to life for young children.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
By Kitson Jazynka
In this Level 2 biography, readers will learn about the fascinating life and legacy of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The book descriptions used are primarily the publishers.
Young Teddy Roosevelt walked down Broadway one day near his New York City home. He spotted a seal, killed in the harbor, on a slab of wood. All at once, the seal “filled me with every possible feeling of romance and adventure,” he later said.
Teddy returned to the seal day after day. He measured it with a ruler and wrote down all his measurements and observations. Teddy hoped to be given the entire seal. Instead, he received the seal’s skull.
The very young future president
The skull inspired Teddy to create the “Roosevelt Museum of Natural History.” Teddy and two cousins placed the museum’s exhibits in Teddy’s bedroom until a chambermaid complained to his parents. Then Teddy had to move the seal skull and the animals and bird exhibits to a back hall bookcase.
Birthplace of Teddy Roosevelt, New York City
Like Teddy, his father was a founding member of a museum, the American Museum of Natural History.
Theodore Roosevelt, Senior
Teddy visited his father’s museum frequently. He studied the exhibits and explored behind the scenes. When he was twelve, Teddy contributed a collection to the museum. It included: a bat, a turtle, mice, a red squirrel’s skull, and four bird eggs.
The American Museum of Natural History
Teddy loved natural history and was especially fascinated with birds. He enjoyed spending time in the country studying nature. He drew pictures of birds and mice and described insects in his notebooks.
Teddy dreamed of becoming a naturalist. That dream changed when he studied at Harvard. He decided instead to enter politics.
As president, Teddy Roosevelt signed laws to set aside two hundred and thirty million acres of wilderness for national parks. Five national parks, eighteen national monuments, fifty-one bird reserves, and 150 national forests were established during his presidency.
If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
